My Computer - Memoirs
Rewind to freshman year of college:
Andy and I arrive at FAR on a cool, brisk day in August. Books in one hand, pencils and calculator in the other, both of us ready and excited for the coming 4 years of hardcore learning. Other possessions accompanying us from home: my 27" TV and Nintendo 64 (in case there was time left over after class and studying), his fridge, VCR, and videos - The Usual Suspects (for people to come over and fall asleep through it halfway), Titanic (for the ladies), and Basic Instinct with Special Features (for Andy).
But the focus of any guy's dorm room, no matter how big the TV or how loud the stereo, is the computer. A room without a computer is like a chicken without a head - lost in no man's land, and pretty much useless. It is your connection to the Internet, your source of mp3s, your connection to AOL and telnet email, and most importantly of all, home to the greatest video game of them all: Starcraft.
Unfortunately, that particular computer was already on its dying legs by the time we got to school. Music would skip if you tried running any other programs at the same time. The screen would freeze for no reason. And my battle.net homies got pretty used to seeing the popup screen:
"Waiting for players:
[] Dudo~509~
0:45 ... 0:33 ... 0:27 ..."
So I took my lumps and suffered through that piece of crap for a whole school year. Not letting me telnet to students.uiuc.edu was one thing, and I guess I could deal with losing my ECE Mallard homework once in a while to a random system freeze. But it was getting to the point where my crafting was being hampered. Many times I would cry out to the comp in frustration, "damn, why you gotta be wasting my flava?" (anyone know where that quote is from?). For there are few things that irk a man more than the presence of lag, especially when he is engaged in craft among the stars.
Fast forward to sophomore year:
I arrive at ISR with Anuj. It is a sunny afternoon. All our belongings, 27" TV included, are mashed into the backseat or trunk of his '92 Toyota Corolla. I step to the front desk with excitement, and let out a yelp of glee as the desk chick (*not the fabled "ISR desk chick" of Poongbunkorian lore) informs me of 2 large Dell boxes with my name on it.
I quickly signed for the packages, and brought them to my room. Set up my 17" monitor, speakers with subwoofer, and the smooth cream-skinned tower of power on the desk, and took a step back to admire its beauty. It was love at first sight.
What followed were some of the best years of my life. Filled with many joyous moments, skip-free music, multiple windows of ESPN.com GameCast open, downloading of all the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears videos I wanted, and of course, lag-less craft on top of everything else.
Over the years, I took good care of my baby, and she took good care of me. When the 13.6 GB hard drive was getting cramped, I got her a 40 GB addition. When the 128 MB of RAM was not cutting it, I upped the number to 320. She wanted a CD burner to keep up with her friends, and I gladly obliged. Whenever she started to get a little too chubby around the registry, I made sure to give her the best lipo action possible, with a clean format and upgrade to Windows 2000. But through it all, the trusty Intel PIII-550 processor and motherboard stayed true.
Fast forward again, to Summer 2002:
My baby starts to show her age. Faster and better processors now dominate the market. My 17" CRT monitor, once the king of computer displays, burns out, perhaps caving under the pressure. The pressure of being constantly compared not only to the larger 19 and 20 inchers, but the new flashy flat-panel LCDs as well. Meanwhile, the dreaded Starcraft lag lurks in the shadows, rearing its ugly head whenever I try to run too many programs or fail to reboot regularly enough.
Still, I pressed on. For I am not a man akin to coldly ditch a loved one, simply when times get rough. But time is a silent killer that shows no mercy. Unlike me, my computer doesn't get better, sexier, or more refined with age; it only gets worse. And now, it appears to be breathing its final breaths.
It's a tough pill to swallow, when someone you care so deeply about is ready to pass on. No matter how hard you try to resist and hang on tight, the waves of change are far too forceful and cannot be deterred for long. As I tried to play the special features of the Crossroads DVD last night and was greeted by a screen of jumbled characters and graphics, words could not describe the feelings inside me.
Though I hid it well, for the sake of onlookers, an overwhelming sense of panic came over me as I realized the extent of this loss. I reset the computer - twice - with no response. Eventually the soft, deep blue eyes of my Dell Dimension would reopen, bringing a huge sigh of relief, but irreparable damage had already been done. For I now realized that those eyes would not stay open forever, as I had once hoped. Try as I might, there could be no denying the fact that her time was short and finite.
So I sit and wait, surrounded by uncertainty so strong it is virtually palpable. My baby is still with me for now, but for how long? When will the next attack of system failure come, and will she survive it? What will I do once she is gone for good? And will I ever be able to find the same solace and tender love in the arms of another?
The questions are many, the answers are few. Such goes the way of life, I suppose. As one journeys along in the quest for answers, he encounters far more questions than he ever anticipated. Perhaps we are not meant to know certain things - the truth is hidden from us and revealed only when the time is right. Still, I persist. I shall continue to travel this road, until I myself reach its very end.
*****
Yes, I know it's just a computer, and yes, I am mostly joking. You know how I write, it starts out innocently and spirals out of control.
But I'm not kidding about lag, though. I really hate lag.
Also, the Crossroads DVD incident was based on a true story. There were three of the said onlookers who could verify it.
Saturday, April 26, 2003
Monday, April 21, 2003
I heard something clever last week and thought I'd post it here:
You know the end of the world is near when....
... the best rapper is white
... the best golfer is black
... the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese
... the French call Americans arrogant
... the Germans don't want to go to war
Crazy times we live in. But I guess one thing stays constant: Kenyans dominating the Boston Marathon. A friend I knew in college was telling me stories once about when he was doing missions work in Kenya. There were these two towns that were like 20-30 miles apart, and they had to travel between those two towns kind of regularly. He said that the locals would just run the distance like it was nothing. Not only that, but pick up their heavy speaker equipment or whatever other stuff they had, strap it to their backs and just go. No wonder they always win those marathons. Makes you wonder if normal humans like us should even bother trying.
I had one of the worst mornings in a long time. Don't feel like writing about it now in detail. Anyways, I feel better so it's all good. Plus I got an unexpected email from someone I hadn't talked to or seen in a while, which made the day a little better.
I forgot to mention in my Easter Blog that I watched Anger Management with Olivia over the weekend. I thought it was pretty good, consider it "recommended" by the prestigious Dudo509 Blogspot Movie Division. It reinforced my high opinions of Jack Nicholson and Marisa Tomei.
But I think the old Adam Sandler is gone for good, if we didn't know that already. I wish he would do more stuff like Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison, but I guess chicks don't dig the vulgarity and weirdness as much. They seem to prefer the more cutesy stuff like Big Daddy, Waterboy, or Wedding Singer. (I haven't seen Wedding Singer but I figure it fits that category) Hardcore fans would probably say he sold out, so that his movies would make more money, and so he could score more with the ladies.
Another thing I should've said in my last blog was Happy Birthday to Anuj, Jeff, and Tuan. Don't know if you guys read this page but oh well. Sorry I didn't make it to your dinner or to the Buzz, but you can take comfort in the grand honor of being mentioned in my blog.
You know the end of the world is near when....
... the best rapper is white
... the best golfer is black
... the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese
... the French call Americans arrogant
... the Germans don't want to go to war
Crazy times we live in. But I guess one thing stays constant: Kenyans dominating the Boston Marathon. A friend I knew in college was telling me stories once about when he was doing missions work in Kenya. There were these two towns that were like 20-30 miles apart, and they had to travel between those two towns kind of regularly. He said that the locals would just run the distance like it was nothing. Not only that, but pick up their heavy speaker equipment or whatever other stuff they had, strap it to their backs and just go. No wonder they always win those marathons. Makes you wonder if normal humans like us should even bother trying.
I had one of the worst mornings in a long time. Don't feel like writing about it now in detail. Anyways, I feel better so it's all good. Plus I got an unexpected email from someone I hadn't talked to or seen in a while, which made the day a little better.
I forgot to mention in my Easter Blog that I watched Anger Management with Olivia over the weekend. I thought it was pretty good, consider it "recommended" by the prestigious Dudo509 Blogspot Movie Division. It reinforced my high opinions of Jack Nicholson and Marisa Tomei.
But I think the old Adam Sandler is gone for good, if we didn't know that already. I wish he would do more stuff like Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison, but I guess chicks don't dig the vulgarity and weirdness as much. They seem to prefer the more cutesy stuff like Big Daddy, Waterboy, or Wedding Singer. (I haven't seen Wedding Singer but I figure it fits that category) Hardcore fans would probably say he sold out, so that his movies would make more money, and so he could score more with the ladies.
Another thing I should've said in my last blog was Happy Birthday to Anuj, Jeff, and Tuan. Don't know if you guys read this page but oh well. Sorry I didn't make it to your dinner or to the Buzz, but you can take comfort in the grand honor of being mentioned in my blog.
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Easter Blog
- I got a chance to play some World Series 2K3 at P's house a few days ago. There's nothing quite like playing a quality baseball game with your boys, especially if they are in the same fantasy baseball league as you. Brings back all the memories of ISR, when we would get Rover and play TP 2000 every day in my room.
- I think every one of my past roommates has complained at some point that I'm never around. Which probably isn't untrue, cause I was just that popular in college. But I think in the past week, I have seen my 2 housemates at the house for all of about 2 hours total. I'm usually here, but they get home late when I'm either already in bed or about to go to bed. Anyways, it's a weird feeling that for once, I am the one who is always around and the guys I live with are always out. Kind of a nice change of pace, actually.
- This might be the first year that Easter has not been a big deal in my life. From the days of the Easter Bunny, decorating and hunting for eggs, to the days at U of I, when Easter was a week-long event for CFC ("Passion Week"), it always seemed like a really major holiday to me. This year, it seems to have come and gone without the usual hoopla. Well, there was still Easter service at my home church, and I got Good Friday off for work, which was nice, but I just never got into the Easter-y mood this year. Hopefully that doesn't happen to me with Christmas. I doubt it will though... just gotta watch Home Alone and that makes me plenty juiced for the holidays.
- Dave Chappelle is hilarious
- It's disappointing that Bill Self decided to leave Illinois for Kansas. But three years ago, we were also disappointed that Lon Krueger left for the NBA. Things turned out pretty good for us then, and I think they will turn out just fine for us in the next couple years too. My feeling is that Self will do well in Kansas, whoever replaces Self for us will do well at Illinois, and Roy Williams will regret going to North Carolina within a couple years. For any Illinois haters reading, I recommend you read Andy Katz's article on ESPN.com. Basically, it's just saying how Kansas is such an awesome job and Illinois is for leftover chumps.
Currently Playing On My Winamp: Coldplay - The Scientist
I remember this was one of my favorite songs when I first listened to the CD last year. I forgot about it until I started hearing it on the radio lately. Who knew that Coldplay would get big, that girls would adore Chris Martin, and he would end up dating Gwyneth Paltrow? Certainly not I.
- I got a chance to play some World Series 2K3 at P's house a few days ago. There's nothing quite like playing a quality baseball game with your boys, especially if they are in the same fantasy baseball league as you. Brings back all the memories of ISR, when we would get Rover and play TP 2000 every day in my room.
- I think every one of my past roommates has complained at some point that I'm never around. Which probably isn't untrue, cause I was just that popular in college. But I think in the past week, I have seen my 2 housemates at the house for all of about 2 hours total. I'm usually here, but they get home late when I'm either already in bed or about to go to bed. Anyways, it's a weird feeling that for once, I am the one who is always around and the guys I live with are always out. Kind of a nice change of pace, actually.
- This might be the first year that Easter has not been a big deal in my life. From the days of the Easter Bunny, decorating and hunting for eggs, to the days at U of I, when Easter was a week-long event for CFC ("Passion Week"), it always seemed like a really major holiday to me. This year, it seems to have come and gone without the usual hoopla. Well, there was still Easter service at my home church, and I got Good Friday off for work, which was nice, but I just never got into the Easter-y mood this year. Hopefully that doesn't happen to me with Christmas. I doubt it will though... just gotta watch Home Alone and that makes me plenty juiced for the holidays.
- Dave Chappelle is hilarious
- It's disappointing that Bill Self decided to leave Illinois for Kansas. But three years ago, we were also disappointed that Lon Krueger left for the NBA. Things turned out pretty good for us then, and I think they will turn out just fine for us in the next couple years too. My feeling is that Self will do well in Kansas, whoever replaces Self for us will do well at Illinois, and Roy Williams will regret going to North Carolina within a couple years. For any Illinois haters reading, I recommend you read Andy Katz's article on ESPN.com. Basically, it's just saying how Kansas is such an awesome job and Illinois is for leftover chumps.
Currently Playing On My Winamp: Coldplay - The Scientist
I remember this was one of my favorite songs when I first listened to the CD last year. I forgot about it until I started hearing it on the radio lately. Who knew that Coldplay would get big, that girls would adore Chris Martin, and he would end up dating Gwyneth Paltrow? Certainly not I.
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Good Heavens
Yesterday night before going to sleep, for some reason I was struck with the strong urge to look up in the sky and observe the moon and the stars. Maybe it was because of a conversation I had earlier, about how the stars you see actually died millions of years ago but their light is just now reaching us. I don't know.
Anyways, it wasn't that great of a stargazing night, plus I was tired so I went to sleep soon after, but the subject hasn't left my mind since then. Something about staring into the night sky triggers a weird but good emotion inside me. I'm a pretty rational, scientific person by most standards, but there's many times when I feel a very intangible side of being human too.
It's hard to explain these kinds of surreal feelings in words, or why I have them. I think we were born with an inherent need to experience the things of nature. At least to some extent, we have a part of us that craves and desires to escape from society, however briefly, and take solace in the larger world outside. I personally have been wishing for a chance to maybe spend time alone by the ocean or something like that, to just gather my thoughts and enjoy the world around me for a few moments.
The thing is, most of us live and work in the city or suburbs, and we're surrounded by people and all sorts of media pretty much from the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep. Between our jobs, the social lives we lead, and all the other things we fill our time with, certain things get lost or forgotten in the midst of all the busy-ness.
Don't get me wrong - I like my job, I love all my friends and family, and I would never trade my city/suburban life for any other. I mean, without a job to work at, and without relationships, life to me would be pretty meaningless. And as far as urban life goes, I appreciate it for what it is. There have been many memories throughout my life when I have felt so awed by the sight of a big city. Like admiring the Chicago skyline any time I drive on Lake Shore Drive. Arriving at the Las Vegas strip for the first time. Looking out the window of the 747 as I left Taipei a few years ago. Or standing on the deck of a boat, in the harbor outside Hong Kong, staring at all the lights and many beautifully architectured buildings at night.
I guess what I'm saying is, even with all I have in my life, something about me as a human being elicits a strong desire to experience things that are greater than what man can make or provide.
The Chicago skyline is so impressive and great to me, but when I see the infinite number of stars in the sky, or stand on the shore of a giant ocean, everything else seems so insignificant and unworthy of comparison. And when I think about how many millions or billions of galaxies are out there, how many billions of years or more that they've existed before I was even conceived, it's a very humbling experience.
It's an annoying cliche that I try to avoid, but this kind of experience tends to "put things in perspective" for me. When I work hard to achieve goals, and list my own accomplishments, it's easy sometimes to feel like I'm something really special and important, as if it's my world and everyone else is just living in it. It's times like these when I really need to be humbled the most.
I'm reminded that the world doesn't revolve around me. That all the things I absorb myself with in my life, the things I focus all my attention on, and seem so vitally important to me, are only a very tiny part of the larger whole. And that ultimately, whether I live, die, succeed or fail in the things I do, the universe and all that's in it will go on.
You'd think that this would be a discouraging thought, like I'm just a mere little individual and my life doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. But actually, deep down I feel strangely peaceful, knowing that I could mess up my life in the worst possible way imaginable and the universe won't care one bit.
Okay, so I don't really mean that last part. That's a pretty twisted way of looking at things. But I do take comfort in these thoughts because in a way they affirm my belief in God, that he is in control of everything, and not me.
It's like when you're a little kid, the feeling of knowing that whatever happens, your mom and dad will always be there, loving you and taking care of you all the way. It's a sense of security, but so much deeper than that. Well, by now I am more or less independent of my parents, but I refuse to believe that I am on my own, or that I am the highest being of them all. I still have a strong need to look above myself, to God who watches over me in everything I do. Knowing that I'm in control of my own life, but God is in control overall, is a very settling thought for me.
Some of you reading are probably thinking I'm crazy. "How does he get all that from looking at stars?!" The answer is, I don't know. Like I said before, human nature is so intangible and hard to explain in words. I may not know exactly why I enjoy looking at the stars or watching the waves of an ocean, but I do know that these things satisfy a part of me that other things in my life cannot.
I don't wish to quit my job, move to unsettled land in Canada, build a cabin in the wilderness and hunt for food. But I think I need at least some feeling of being in touch with nature, beyond the routine of daily/weekly/monthly life that I'm starting to settle into. Like the guy in Office Space said, "Human beings were not meant to be caged up like animals in cubicles and stare at computer screens all day." We weren't meant to simply watch TV, play golf, and drink beer the rest of the day when we get home from work either. Not that those things are bad, but too much of it ends up being just a jumble of distractions that clouds your mind and soul.
So I don't know what I'm gonna do, if anything at all. Maybe I should get a telescope and read up about astronomy. Or maybe I just need a vacation or a break from the routine. Anyone out there feel like going camping and looking at stars? I think now I'm just babbling on. Well anyways... I'll figure something out eventually.
Yesterday night before going to sleep, for some reason I was struck with the strong urge to look up in the sky and observe the moon and the stars. Maybe it was because of a conversation I had earlier, about how the stars you see actually died millions of years ago but their light is just now reaching us. I don't know.
Anyways, it wasn't that great of a stargazing night, plus I was tired so I went to sleep soon after, but the subject hasn't left my mind since then. Something about staring into the night sky triggers a weird but good emotion inside me. I'm a pretty rational, scientific person by most standards, but there's many times when I feel a very intangible side of being human too.
It's hard to explain these kinds of surreal feelings in words, or why I have them. I think we were born with an inherent need to experience the things of nature. At least to some extent, we have a part of us that craves and desires to escape from society, however briefly, and take solace in the larger world outside. I personally have been wishing for a chance to maybe spend time alone by the ocean or something like that, to just gather my thoughts and enjoy the world around me for a few moments.
The thing is, most of us live and work in the city or suburbs, and we're surrounded by people and all sorts of media pretty much from the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep. Between our jobs, the social lives we lead, and all the other things we fill our time with, certain things get lost or forgotten in the midst of all the busy-ness.
Don't get me wrong - I like my job, I love all my friends and family, and I would never trade my city/suburban life for any other. I mean, without a job to work at, and without relationships, life to me would be pretty meaningless. And as far as urban life goes, I appreciate it for what it is. There have been many memories throughout my life when I have felt so awed by the sight of a big city. Like admiring the Chicago skyline any time I drive on Lake Shore Drive. Arriving at the Las Vegas strip for the first time. Looking out the window of the 747 as I left Taipei a few years ago. Or standing on the deck of a boat, in the harbor outside Hong Kong, staring at all the lights and many beautifully architectured buildings at night.
I guess what I'm saying is, even with all I have in my life, something about me as a human being elicits a strong desire to experience things that are greater than what man can make or provide.
The Chicago skyline is so impressive and great to me, but when I see the infinite number of stars in the sky, or stand on the shore of a giant ocean, everything else seems so insignificant and unworthy of comparison. And when I think about how many millions or billions of galaxies are out there, how many billions of years or more that they've existed before I was even conceived, it's a very humbling experience.
It's an annoying cliche that I try to avoid, but this kind of experience tends to "put things in perspective" for me. When I work hard to achieve goals, and list my own accomplishments, it's easy sometimes to feel like I'm something really special and important, as if it's my world and everyone else is just living in it. It's times like these when I really need to be humbled the most.
I'm reminded that the world doesn't revolve around me. That all the things I absorb myself with in my life, the things I focus all my attention on, and seem so vitally important to me, are only a very tiny part of the larger whole. And that ultimately, whether I live, die, succeed or fail in the things I do, the universe and all that's in it will go on.
You'd think that this would be a discouraging thought, like I'm just a mere little individual and my life doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. But actually, deep down I feel strangely peaceful, knowing that I could mess up my life in the worst possible way imaginable and the universe won't care one bit.
Okay, so I don't really mean that last part. That's a pretty twisted way of looking at things. But I do take comfort in these thoughts because in a way they affirm my belief in God, that he is in control of everything, and not me.
It's like when you're a little kid, the feeling of knowing that whatever happens, your mom and dad will always be there, loving you and taking care of you all the way. It's a sense of security, but so much deeper than that. Well, by now I am more or less independent of my parents, but I refuse to believe that I am on my own, or that I am the highest being of them all. I still have a strong need to look above myself, to God who watches over me in everything I do. Knowing that I'm in control of my own life, but God is in control overall, is a very settling thought for me.
Some of you reading are probably thinking I'm crazy. "How does he get all that from looking at stars?!" The answer is, I don't know. Like I said before, human nature is so intangible and hard to explain in words. I may not know exactly why I enjoy looking at the stars or watching the waves of an ocean, but I do know that these things satisfy a part of me that other things in my life cannot.
I don't wish to quit my job, move to unsettled land in Canada, build a cabin in the wilderness and hunt for food. But I think I need at least some feeling of being in touch with nature, beyond the routine of daily/weekly/monthly life that I'm starting to settle into. Like the guy in Office Space said, "Human beings were not meant to be caged up like animals in cubicles and stare at computer screens all day." We weren't meant to simply watch TV, play golf, and drink beer the rest of the day when we get home from work either. Not that those things are bad, but too much of it ends up being just a jumble of distractions that clouds your mind and soul.
So I don't know what I'm gonna do, if anything at all. Maybe I should get a telescope and read up about astronomy. Or maybe I just need a vacation or a break from the routine. Anyone out there feel like going camping and looking at stars? I think now I'm just babbling on. Well anyways... I'll figure something out eventually.
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Insulting My Fanhood
My 2-day stint at first place in Dudo League Baseball is over. But I remain upbeat about my team.
After Tuesday night's debacle at the Sox game, and reading Piya's blog, I have been thinking about my Sox fanhood. As many of you know, baseball is my favorite sport and the Sox are my favorite team. But in the past few years, I have found it harder and harder to support them as a fan.
The toughest thing for me is not when the Sox lose. Of course, I love to see them win, but I could still love my team and follow them religiously if they were in last place. What bothers me the most is that there are literally zero players on the Sox that I like. I used to like Frank Thomas, about 10 years ago when he was good and I didn't know he was a jackass, but since then I have hated him more and more with each passing season. I never liked Billy Koch, Flash Gordon, or even Bartolo Colon, either, and those happened to be our top 3 signings this season. My hate for Koch has intensified already, as it's less than 3 weeks into the season and he's blowing big saves.
The rest of the guys, I am pretty indifferent to. Magglio, Buerhle and Konerko are good players, and Crede has potential. But I couldn't really say I love watching any of them. It's been a while since there was a Sox player I liked. I thought Mike Caruso was gonna be awesome, but then he showed why there are no good lefty shortstops in the league. And I was starting to like Ray Durham more, but then my best friend Kenny Williams (worst... GM... ever) traded him away.
In any team sport, and I think in baseball more than any other, the human factor is so very important. Okay, so in some cases (Yankees, Braves, Lakers) teams can win on pure talent alone, but I really believe the best way to go is to build team chemistry and play together as a whole. Some good examples in the past few years are the Angels, the Twins, and this year's Royals. Not only do they win, but they're a lot more fun to watch too.
But "chemistry" seems like a foreign word to the Sox. We have no clear leader on this team. Our players don't seem to be focused on winning, nor do they show hustle. This shows that they don't care about letting down their teammates. We lack solid fundamentals in fielding, baserunning, etc., which is at least partly the fault of Jerry Manuel and the coaches.
We've had no shortage of prospects in a pretty good farm system, but so few of them seem to develop into true star players. Meanwhile, Kenny gets these big name players in the offseason and hopes that they the team will magically mesh together, all of a sudden.
Then we have Jerry Reinsdorf. I'll give him some props for at least showing some effort to spend money and improve the team, but he's still a putz overall. I'm still a little pissed that he didn't put more effort into making New Comiskey a better ballpark from the start, at a time when really nice fields like Camden Yard and Jacobs Field were also being built. And this year, he dumped one of the oldest names in baseball and made our stadium "US Cellular Field"*. As if the White Sox tradition and personality weren't dry enough already.
So they wonder why Sox fans don't show up to games. No, it's not because we're still bitter about the strike. No, it's not because of the neighborhood. No, it's not even because the stadium is unfriendly or because they raised prices for parking. It's because the team is just not worth paying to watch. I mean, I still follow the Sox on TV, and I've still been going to some games, but I would go so much more if they gave me a reason to get excited about being at the park.
They could do the Jumbotron pizza races, plane races, which-cap-is-the-ball-under game, and Kiss Cam all they want. They could have all the promotions you can possibly think of. They might even try making parking free with ticket stub and reducing the price of hot dogs to under $3. But all that's gonna do is probably attract more of the lowlifes who just wanna get drunk, run on the field, and do something stupid. True Sox fans go to the park for good baseball, not for all the other stuff.
The fact is, what we true fans really want is a team to get behind and cheer for, one that will make us actually want to get off our couches and drive to the field to root them on. We need more of the players who show leadership by example on the field, who are friendly to the media and make an effort to show appreciation to the fans. We'd like to see people hustle to first base, slide headfirst into home plate, and dive for groundballs. We want to see high fives, rally caps, or jumping out of the dugout to watch a home run.
You can't expect us to pay to see a team that blows leads late in the game, with guys who can't lay down a bunt, and who get caught stealing for the final out when you're down 3 runs anyways. It's just not right.
Hopefully we see improvements in the Sox organization sometime soon. I say we get rid of Frank Thomas and Kenny Williams for starters and see where it goes from there. Maybe dump Jerry Manuel too, for good measure. I don't care, waive the whole team and call up your minor league affiliate. I bet they're more entertaining to watch anyways.
I guess in the meantime, I'm gonna have to reluctantly follow my team and hope for the best. I still have faith that we can win this year. It's just not an easy time for me to be a Sox fan, that's all.
*****
US Cellular happens to be on my "list" too, which includes Structure and Home Depot. Me and my sister used to have PrimeCo. It sucked, so eventually I switched to Cingular and she switched to VoiceStream. But for some reason, when we quit, they kept a one-cent balance on my account. Now, Voicestream is T-Mobile and PrimeCo is US Cellular, but throughout all this time, PrimeCo/US Cellular have been sending us bills for $.01 every single month. We've called more than once to have them fix this, but obviously they never do because the bills keep coming.
I think next week I am gonna stop into the US Cellular store nearest me with a baseball bat and ask them not-so-politely to fix my balance and terminate my account. Maybe I'll bring a bucket of pennies and fling them at the employees.
*****
Update on the pants: I tried the "Goof-off" stuff on my pants based on Rich's comment, but I think, like he said, the paint was already brushed deep into the fabric beyond repair. Thanks for the suggestion anyways, though, it was worth a try.
On the plus side, Goof-off has a nice gasoliney smell. It gave me a nice dizzy and high feeling as I went to bed last night.
My 2-day stint at first place in Dudo League Baseball is over. But I remain upbeat about my team.
After Tuesday night's debacle at the Sox game, and reading Piya's blog, I have been thinking about my Sox fanhood. As many of you know, baseball is my favorite sport and the Sox are my favorite team. But in the past few years, I have found it harder and harder to support them as a fan.
The toughest thing for me is not when the Sox lose. Of course, I love to see them win, but I could still love my team and follow them religiously if they were in last place. What bothers me the most is that there are literally zero players on the Sox that I like. I used to like Frank Thomas, about 10 years ago when he was good and I didn't know he was a jackass, but since then I have hated him more and more with each passing season. I never liked Billy Koch, Flash Gordon, or even Bartolo Colon, either, and those happened to be our top 3 signings this season. My hate for Koch has intensified already, as it's less than 3 weeks into the season and he's blowing big saves.
The rest of the guys, I am pretty indifferent to. Magglio, Buerhle and Konerko are good players, and Crede has potential. But I couldn't really say I love watching any of them. It's been a while since there was a Sox player I liked. I thought Mike Caruso was gonna be awesome, but then he showed why there are no good lefty shortstops in the league. And I was starting to like Ray Durham more, but then my best friend Kenny Williams (worst... GM... ever) traded him away.
In any team sport, and I think in baseball more than any other, the human factor is so very important. Okay, so in some cases (Yankees, Braves, Lakers) teams can win on pure talent alone, but I really believe the best way to go is to build team chemistry and play together as a whole. Some good examples in the past few years are the Angels, the Twins, and this year's Royals. Not only do they win, but they're a lot more fun to watch too.
But "chemistry" seems like a foreign word to the Sox. We have no clear leader on this team. Our players don't seem to be focused on winning, nor do they show hustle. This shows that they don't care about letting down their teammates. We lack solid fundamentals in fielding, baserunning, etc., which is at least partly the fault of Jerry Manuel and the coaches.
We've had no shortage of prospects in a pretty good farm system, but so few of them seem to develop into true star players. Meanwhile, Kenny gets these big name players in the offseason and hopes that they the team will magically mesh together, all of a sudden.
Then we have Jerry Reinsdorf. I'll give him some props for at least showing some effort to spend money and improve the team, but he's still a putz overall. I'm still a little pissed that he didn't put more effort into making New Comiskey a better ballpark from the start, at a time when really nice fields like Camden Yard and Jacobs Field were also being built. And this year, he dumped one of the oldest names in baseball and made our stadium "US Cellular Field"*. As if the White Sox tradition and personality weren't dry enough already.
So they wonder why Sox fans don't show up to games. No, it's not because we're still bitter about the strike. No, it's not because of the neighborhood. No, it's not even because the stadium is unfriendly or because they raised prices for parking. It's because the team is just not worth paying to watch. I mean, I still follow the Sox on TV, and I've still been going to some games, but I would go so much more if they gave me a reason to get excited about being at the park.
They could do the Jumbotron pizza races, plane races, which-cap-is-the-ball-under game, and Kiss Cam all they want. They could have all the promotions you can possibly think of. They might even try making parking free with ticket stub and reducing the price of hot dogs to under $3. But all that's gonna do is probably attract more of the lowlifes who just wanna get drunk, run on the field, and do something stupid. True Sox fans go to the park for good baseball, not for all the other stuff.
The fact is, what we true fans really want is a team to get behind and cheer for, one that will make us actually want to get off our couches and drive to the field to root them on. We need more of the players who show leadership by example on the field, who are friendly to the media and make an effort to show appreciation to the fans. We'd like to see people hustle to first base, slide headfirst into home plate, and dive for groundballs. We want to see high fives, rally caps, or jumping out of the dugout to watch a home run.
You can't expect us to pay to see a team that blows leads late in the game, with guys who can't lay down a bunt, and who get caught stealing for the final out when you're down 3 runs anyways. It's just not right.
Hopefully we see improvements in the Sox organization sometime soon. I say we get rid of Frank Thomas and Kenny Williams for starters and see where it goes from there. Maybe dump Jerry Manuel too, for good measure. I don't care, waive the whole team and call up your minor league affiliate. I bet they're more entertaining to watch anyways.
I guess in the meantime, I'm gonna have to reluctantly follow my team and hope for the best. I still have faith that we can win this year. It's just not an easy time for me to be a Sox fan, that's all.
*****
US Cellular happens to be on my "list" too, which includes Structure and Home Depot. Me and my sister used to have PrimeCo. It sucked, so eventually I switched to Cingular and she switched to VoiceStream. But for some reason, when we quit, they kept a one-cent balance on my account. Now, Voicestream is T-Mobile and PrimeCo is US Cellular, but throughout all this time, PrimeCo/US Cellular have been sending us bills for $.01 every single month. We've called more than once to have them fix this, but obviously they never do because the bills keep coming.
I think next week I am gonna stop into the US Cellular store nearest me with a baseball bat and ask them not-so-politely to fix my balance and terminate my account. Maybe I'll bring a bucket of pennies and fling them at the employees.
*****
Update on the pants: I tried the "Goof-off" stuff on my pants based on Rich's comment, but I think, like he said, the paint was already brushed deep into the fabric beyond repair. Thanks for the suggestion anyways, though, it was worth a try.
On the plus side, Goof-off has a nice gasoliney smell. It gave me a nice dizzy and high feeling as I went to bed last night.
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